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Dirty water: Water bills may rise to stop sewage overflows

23 Jan, 2017 5:00am

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Raw sewage is overflowing into Auckland Harbour from 41 points around the inner city suburbs almost every time it rains. These overflows – unusually frequent for a developed nation – will get even worse with at least 800 new homes due to be built in the inner suburbs where combined sewer/storm-water pipes are now more than a century old.

"Auckland is a global city and we shouldn't have wastewater overflows polluting our harbour," he said.

Work would finally start in the current council term on a $1 billion "Central Interceptor" pipe that will cut overflows into natural waterways by 80 per cent, he said, and he had told Watercare and the council's Healthy Waters (stormwater) teams to work together.

"The approach I've been taking to Healthy Waters and Watercare is how can we maximise the speed at which this can be introduced, and how can we make it as comprehensive as possible," he said.

But he warned that bringing the work forward could cost more.

"I think Aucklanders accept the fundamental principle that we have to invest in clean and safe beaches," he said.

"If that means we are paying a little bit more for our water, yes that is the cost of having unpolluted harbours. Water charges have to cover the cost of ensuring clean and safe water when we finally discharge wastewater into the harbour."

It was unlikely the Central Interceptor itself could be brought forward by more than a few months, he said, because of the complex engineering work required to build the 13km-long, 4.5-metre to 5-metre-diameter pipe from Western Springs to the Mangere sewerage treatment plant.

Cleaning up the Harbour may increase your water bill. Photo / Richard Robinson

Cleaning up the Harbour may increase your water bill. Photo / Richard Robinson

But 20 per cent of current overflows into the harbour will continue even with the new pipe, and will be reduced again only after spending a further $300 million on upgrading sewers feeding into the new pipe and another $325 million on a planned Waterfront Interceptor to feed wastes from St Mary's Bay and other shoreline suburbs to the start of the new pipe at Western Springs.

Goff said he would need advice on whether this further work could be done at the same time as building the Central Interceptor.

"It's your construction capacity to work simultaneously on both, I'd need to have advice on whether that is possible," he said.

"Is it desirable? Yes. Is it possible? It would bring forward the cost, and the other question is whether it would increase the cost, and can it be done in a quality way?

"I think we are all ready to pay a bit more in our water charges to make sure that we have a decent environment, but we all expect Watercare to do this in a cost-effective way."